[Member spoke in Gwich'in]
[English]
Mr. Speaker, this week the Gwich'in people of Yukon and the NWT are passionately lobbying senators, and their staff in Washington in a desperate plight to save the porcupine caribou herd and the livelihood that has sustained them for thousands of years.
The legislation permitting drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the calving grounds of the herd, is pending shortly in Washington, despite our battle of three decades against it.
We had a good day this week lobbying Congress. Kudos to CPAWS Yukon, who collected, in less than two weeks, over 6,000 signatures on a supporting petition. Please sign it.
Kudos to the Yukon Government and Canadian Wildlife Service, who joined us in Washington. Thanks to the Ministers of Environment, Global Affairs, Crown-Indigenous Relations, and the Prime Minister for their unwavering support.
A special thanks to Canadian Ambassador MacNaughton, and the embassy staff, who have fought this battle for three decades to help the Gwich'in people save the caribou that are their lives, their hearts, and their souls.